TEST DRIVE MEME #10

[sailmods]

a. that's where we both belong

[you wake up.

it doesn't matter where you were before. going to bed? dying? opening the door to face a great evil? same result. you wake up in a soft bed with starched sheets in a cool, darkened room, sunlight peeking out from behind thick curtains. maybe you're alone; maybe you aren't. maybe you immediately notice the folded paper on the bedside table near your head. if you don't, you better fix that real quick: you won't be able to even open the door before you read it.

the note itself is written in a neat hand on white card stock; there is a stylized logo of a ship with the words SERENA ETERNA printed underneath. the note reads as follows:

Dear Passenger(s),

As your cruise director, it is my great honor to welcome you aboard the Serena Eterna, your destination for fun and adventure! We know you could have chosen any cruise line for your vacation, and we're very grateful you chose ours! On behalf of the Captain, I would like to assure each and every passenger that will we do whatever it takes to fulfill all your needs and desires during your journey with us.

At your earliest possible convenience, please attend the mandatory lifeboat drill by the end of the day. I'm sure everyone is very eager to get started on all the fun and sun, but safety always comes first! You can find your life jacket in your cabin's closet; carry it to your assigned muster station on deck one, where I will take you through the drill. If you can't find me in the crowd, just look for the gal with the winning smile!

See You Real Soon!

Sincerely,
Gal Friday

you walk to deck one. you have no other choice: every time you try to step in a direction some unseen being considers "not towards deck one," you find your legs no longer move, staying stock still, frozen. whether compelled quickly by curiosity, or delayed by pure stubbornness, the result is the same, and you are left milling around with other similarly curious or stubborn people.

you see someone in uniform near the front of the crowd. she seems to be a gal, but is missing the winning smile, along with most of her other features. she seems to see you, though, rushing to your side and placing a lei around your neck with great formality. a voice, cheery but artificial, sees to come from nowhere and everywhere.]

Welcome aboard! I'm so happy you could join us!

[you touch the lei. rooster feathers, lotus seeds, and a carved circle of something white and hard, linked onto a silk string.

after the drill is completed, you are seemingly free to go. or, well, your legs work, now. and maybe that's as good as it's gonna get.]

b. and there's plenty of that down by the sea

[it’s strange to think about, isn’t it? how all those new passengers, the ones grumbling or shouting their way through the forced muster drill, have absolutely no idea what happened just last month. no idea about the labyrinth. no concept of why anyone around them would be a bit more hesitant around shadows.

they’ll learn.

sometimes a shadow is darker than it’s supposed to be. very rarely does anything come of that; just a vague sense that someone is watching you, and little more. sometimes, though, the shadows move. sometimes they grab at your ankles as you walk. sometimes they give you a shove as you go down the stairs. sometimes they pull your hair, or pinch your arm.

sometimes you feel something sharp cut into your lower leg.

that’s not a shadow, though. that’s a fiddler crab. you see the crab, sometimes. the cut isn’t from its claws, which don’t look very intimating; it’s not a very large crab. the cut is from the large kitchen knife crudely taped onto its back. it’s probably fine. it's not chasing you. there isn't evil in its heart. probably.]

c. think I'll go back to the Keys

[one day, in the atrium, two pedestals suddenly appear. on each is a large button: one green, and one blue. pressing the blue button gives you a little treat, popping out of thin air next to you. pressing the green button sends a small electric shock through your body. weird, but, hey, pretty avoidable, right?

except, it seems to be spreading. to every other button on board.

in the elevator. on the soda machine. the arcade. your phone. the bell on Friday’s desk.]

Comments

[professionalriot]

Ash is learning not only how to care for himself here but about caring for others. He doesn't have an assistant here or an entourage. It's kind of intimidating.

Using our from under Bash he finds the polish and digs around until he finds a suitable color. The dark, glittery green catches his eye.

"Talk to me."

Shaking the bottle he pats the edge for him to place his foot.

[midnightroads]

"I don't got much to say. How long have you been on the ship? Got a roommate? Who's your best friend, so far?"

Still trying to distract from the hole in his heart that is missing Jeff.

[professionalriot]

"Been here a few months." He opens the bottle and examines the little brush, wiping the excess paint off before it can drip. "Pratt is my roommate. Good guy. My best friend? Shit. Valdis. I talk to her the most."

[midnightroads]

"Valdis is good people. I'm not sure she liked me, but I respected her. Pratt...fuck, what happened to his other roommate?"

[professionalriot]

"Toes or fingers first?" This won't be pretty Bash but he's going to give it a try. "He hasn't said and I don't want to bring up something that will upset him. He's been through a lot of dark shit that I don't understand."

[midnightroads]

"Okay, sure, but find me someone on this hellship that isn't true of." There's almost a laugh there, but not quite.

"And start on the toes. If those turn out real shitty, I can always hide them in shoes."

[professionalriot]

"You make a good point. Everyone here is more then a little fucked up."

Sitting in front of him he hunches over so he can work on his toes.

"Or you'll just have to let me try again."

When his big toe is done Ash smirks at himself, it isn't horrible.

"So you were here. Then you were gone. What happened?"

[midnightroads]

"I think I took a vampire to hell, but he's not there anymore and I'm not, either." But that's just one fucked up interpretation of how all of that went. And it still leaves out why his heart's bleeding. But it's also not entirely untrue, so.

[professionalriot]

"Good place to take a vampire." Ash doesn't have a lot of sympathy for blood suckers. He's known a few that he might call friends, but very, very few.

Ash keeps working on his toes. It's very slow going. He doesn't want to fuck it up.

"You know what we really need on this ship? A fucking therapist. Or better drugs."

He hisses through his teeth when he goes off the edge a little. Using the edge of his thumb nail he tries to clean it up.

"Have you seen the giant pillow pit?"

[midnightroads]

"Not yet. Pillow pit...has anyone organized an orgy in it yet?" Because if not, he might have to be the one to do so.

[professionalriot]

"No," He laughs. "Not yet. But let's be real it probably wouldn't take much encouragement for Max to fix that."

[midnightroads]

"Max is still here?" Bash's attention focuses tightly, metaphorical ears perking like a dog who just heard the word 'walk' from all the way across the house.

[professionalriot]

"He is, yeah." Ash smiles affectionately talking about Max. "Pretty sure I can convince him to come down here."

[midnightroads]

"Yeah? I mean. It might be nice to see him again, or something." What's better than one puppy? Two puppy!

[professionalriot]

"It might be nice or something, he says." Ash winks. He sets the nail polish aside. Getting out his phone he sends Max a text.

I need help in the spa. Hurry. ;)

[maximumcake]

Max's stomach does a summersault when he first reads that text, until the winky face registers. Oh. OH. That kind of help.

On my way!

He arrives at the spa breathless from running, because even if it isn't an emergency, exactly, Max will still always come running like an eager puppy for his loves.

But when he gets through the door, his jaw hits the floor. Is that... BASH?? He's so shocked you'd think he'd seen a ghost. For once, he's speechless.

[midnightroads]

"Well, hey there, sweetheart."

Bash stands, opens his arms in what is clear invitation. Smiles like the full moon in the night sky glowing just for Max.

[professionalriot]

Ash waves at Max from where he sits with the nail polish. He likes a good surprise.

"Watch his toes, baby. They're still wet."

[maximumcake]

Max points a finger at Ash, "You're getting a hug in a minute."

But first things first, he practically tackles Bash, locking him in a crushing hug. The nails can be repainted! "I can't believe you're really here. I thought I'd never see you again. Bash! Bash! When? Is... is Jeff with you?"

[midnightroads]

Ah, fuck. There it is, the question he'd been dreading having to answer. Bash's face buries into Max's shoulder.

"Just me, sorry."

As if, it's somehow his fault that the bright bard, the star of his life isn't here. But this is a celebration, right? He can't be bringing down the mood.

"So, I hear there's a pillow pit now?"

[professionalriot]

"An orgy free pillow pit." Ash adds with a smirk.

[maximumcake]

"No, I'm sorry. I know how much you miss him." Max squeezes tighter one last time before letting go. Bash is the one that will hurt most not having Jeff here. He shouldn't be apologizing.

Max, hearing that comment from Ash, gives Bash a playfully chiding look. "Bash, no planning orgies in the pillow pit. We don't have ghosts to clean up for us anymore. I got it as a gift, so I get to make the rules."

[midnightroads]

"Okay, where do I get to plan orgies and will you both join me for one? Getting my brains fucked out sounds like the only way to celebrate my return. Or fucking someone's brains out, I'm not picky."

There's a small teasing glance at Ash

[professionalriot]

He will try not to blush and fail miserably. His cheeks are warm and he's smirking at the two of them.

"I haven't been involved in a orgy since the eighties." But he does have a kind of private Harry Potter bedroom now. Is he really entertaining this?

Ash chuckles and rubs a nervous hand across the back of his neck. "I mean, if..." He hasn't talked to Max about any of this before. What is or isn't okay. "I can't tell if you're being serious right now or not, man."

[maximumcake]

He chews his bottom lip anxiously. God, he'd be so into a threesome with these two. It would be a dream come true but... he can't. Not when he knows how much he and Bash are alike in certain ways.

Fuck.

Ignore how cute Ash is when he's blushing. Ignore how heat is building in his own chest too. He owes Jeff this much. He'll keep Bash safe now.

Max takes Bash by the hand and then reaches to take Ash's hand too, careful of the nails. "You know I would be so into that idea. I mean, that's like wet dream levels of hot. But... I think maybe what you actually need first is some cuddle time in the pit."